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Bulletin No. 10. 

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

DIVISION OF POMOLOGT, 

G. B. BRACKETT, Pomologist. 



Prcnes and Prune Culture in Western Europe, 



WITif SPECIAL REFERENCE TO EXISTING CONDITIONS 
IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 



BY 



EDWARD R. LAKE, 

Professor of Botany <ind HorikuUwe, Oregon State Agricultural College. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
19 01. 



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Bulletin No. 1 0. 

U. S. I)KPy\RTMf<NT OF AC.RICULTURK, 

DIVISION OF POMOLOGY, 



(;. H. HKACKKTT, l'(jmcili.«ist. 






Prunes and Prune Culture in Western Europe. 



WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO EXISTIN(; CONDITIONS 
IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 



EDWARD K/ LAKK. 

rrufessor of Botaiiij and Hoiilculture, Oregon Stale Agrk-aHuml Volleije, 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
19 01. 



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LBniiR Ol-" TRANSMI'lTAL. 



Department of Agkicultuke, 

Division of Pomology, 
Washington^ D. 61, June 19^ 1901. 

Sir: 1 luivc tho honor to transmit herewith and to recommend for 
publication as a bulletin of this Division the manuscript of a report 
upon "Prunes and Prune Culture in Western Europe With Special 
Reference to Existing Conditions in the Pacific Northwest," by Prof. 
P^dward R. Lake, of the Oregon Experiment Station. It also contains 
important references to the JNIirabelle group of plums and their 
economic value in the countries visited. 

The expenses of the investigation of which this manuscript is the 
official report were defrayed from the appropriation of the Division 
of Botany for Botanical Investigations. Credit is therefore due to 
Mr. Frederick V. Coville, Botanist of this Department, for his kind 
cooperation and valuable assistance in aiding this Division in cariying 
out the investigation made hj Professor Lake. 

This bulletin contains the report of a careful investigation of the 
economics of the prune industry in w^estern Europe, more especially 
in France and German}'. 

Very respectfully, G. B. P)Rackett, 



l\mioJ agist. 



Hon. James Wiesox, /Secret (tr//. 



W1AR31 19:^] 
D« ot 0. 



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C()NT1':nts 



Introduction 5 

The European prune industry 7 

Imijortaut producing districts 7 

Soils 8 

Orchard methods 9 

Stocks 10 

Pruning and trainin<,' 10 

Varieties 11 

The prune in commer(;e 12 

Secondary products 13 

Packing and packages 14 

Methods of marketing 15 

Evaporation 17 

New or little known varieties 19 

Historic and important kinds 19 

Kinds to be further investigated 20 

^Miscellaneous varieties 21 

Chemical composition of prunes 22 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 
Pi.ATK I. Tlie Abbey Clairac. The spot where the Benedictines planted the 

first jirune tree in France \ 7 

I r. An (ircliard of Itahan Prnne, 9 years old, Freil)urg, Baden, Germany. 10 

III. A 9-year-old orchard of Mi rabelles. The 2iroj)erty of C. AVnrsthorn, 

St. Max, Nancy, France 10 

IV. Typical prune orchards of France: Fig. 1, German Prune at Kpinal, 

France; Fig. 2, Prune trees at Carcassonne; Fig. 3, Agen Prune 

at Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Frante 10 

V. A typical tree of Mirabelle Plum, 12 years old, 8t. Max, Nancy, 

France 11 

^'l. Tyjiical market scenes in France. The prune markets, St. Livrade. 16 
^'^. An evaporator, or "etuve," and the operator, Villeneuve-snr-Lot, 

France. Charging with a fresh load 16 

VIll. An evaporator (same as PL VII), showing assorting of partially 

cured prunes 16 

IX. Prune-harvesting scenes in tlie rural districts of France 18 

X. One of the original trees of Cteur de Bu.'uf Prune, Carcassonne, France. 19 

4 



PRUNES AND PRUNE CULTURE IN WESTERN EUROPE, WITH 
SPECIAL REFERENCE TO EXISTING CONDITIONS IN THE 
PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 



INTRODUCTION. • 

The prune industry of the Pacitie Northwest, inchiding- the States of 
Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, is to-day the foremost pomological 
interest of this section. Beginning with a few trees planted by the 
late Henr^' Miller, at Milwaukee, Oreg., in 1860, and a commercial 
orchard planted near Portland, Oreg., by Dr. J. R. Card well, in 1871,^ 
the plantings have increased until at present there are approximately 
50,000 acres of commercial prune orchards in these three States. The 
estimated value of this acreage, together with equipment, including 
apparatus, evaporating and packing plants, is $20,000,000.^ Of this 
acreage at least 20 per cent is of the variety known as Agen {^^Oal/.- 
fmrnia,^' ''''Petite^'' or '"'' French'''')^ and the remainder, or 80 per cent, 
is of the variety known as the Italian prune {FelJenherg)^ and it is with 
especial reference to this latter variety that this report has to deal. 
There are various other varieties grown in small quantities in an experi- 
mental way in this section, but as yet only the two above mentioned, 
together with a so-called " AVfet'/' " prune (Golden Drop, Coe)^ are of 
commercial importance. This latter variety is rapidly passing out of 
commerce; in fact, the trade journals in 1000, almost to a unit, did not 
give quotations on this fruit. The authority quoted above has esti- 
mated that a light crop of prunes for the Pacific Northwest for the 
year 1901 would yield approximately 40,000,000 pounds of the evapo- 
rated product, while a full crop would be not less than three times that 
amount. On the basis of the prices received for the crop of 1900, the 
fruit of the Agen being included in the estimates, an average crop 
of the prune orchards of this region ought to yield not far from 
$2,500,000 per year, on a basis of the present acreage. It is quite 
l)ro])able that the income would be much larger if all of the crop, tak- 
ing one year with another, could be saved and the product put upon 
the market in a uniformly high-grade style. With the rapid increase 
in bearing acreage since 1894-95 there has been a decided decline in 

' Grafting wood of both the Itahan and Agen was obtained by the nursery firm of 
Miller & Lambert from Ellwanger & Barry, and to this firm (Miller & Lambert) is 
due the credit of having introduced the prune into this region. 

"These figures are based upon extensive and careful inquiries first made in 189.3, 
and supplemented by further investigations made in recent years by H. M. William- 
son, a conservative authoritv. 



6 

the average market priee of the product. No longer do the groAvers 
receiAe the large prices — 8 to 12 cents per pound — that were received 
in the decade from 1880 to 1890; still, the present prices, which are 
somewhat higher than for the past three 3'^ears (the average being 4i 
cents per pound for the crop of Italians of 1900), yield a fair remu- 
neration to tlie producer. As the marketal)l(^ output has increased and 
the price declined, producer and dealer alike have turned their atten- 
tion to the problems of improvement in quality and extension of mar- 
kets. Among the*hrst phases of the subject to attract their attention 
have been the various problems relating to the proper curing of the 
crop. While endeavoring to solve these, the attention of the grower 
has been lixed upon the fact that the chief difficulty in the Avay of 
improvement lies not so much with the methods of curing as with 
certain rather undesirable characteristics of the leading variety itself. 
The climatic conditions of th(^ Pacific Northwest are such that usually 
the early autumn rains begin, in one section or another, before the 
prune crop is more than half harvested, resulting not infrequently in 
the loss of much fruit b}' bursting, as well as retarding the work of 
harvesting and increasing the cost of evaporating. The Italian is also 
a shy bearer, taking one vear with another, a feature that is probably 
due, in large measure, to the self-sterility of its pollen, though occa- 
sionally it would seem to be due to the prevalence of cold, wet weather 
at the time of blossoming. In the meantime those who have been 
looking for increased market facilities have ascertained that in some 
sections exception is taken to the cured fruit of this variety of prune 
on several points, viz, toughness of skin, tartness of flavor, large size 
of pit, etc. With these several objections in mind, together with the 
fact that the Italian has been found subject to a malady which mani- 
fests itself in a distortion of the foliage, locally called '•curl,'' which 
threatens to be a more or less serious handicap in the cultivation of 
this variety, the more progressive growlers have been gradually com- 
ing to the conclusion that a variety other than the Italian must be 
found for this section if the best results with this crop are to l)e 
obtained. 

The Italian has been characterized as the "• lazy man's tree'' l)ecause 
it rarely, if ever, sets so nuich fruit that the operation of thinning- 
seems desirable. While this quality formerly commended the variety, 
growers are now generally expressing a desire for a more pi-olific tree 
which at the same time will yield a fruit of the same type and possess 
the desirable qualities of the Italian. 

With a view to ascertaining whether there are any European varie- 
ties that possess the desired qualities, or part of them, and are there- 
fore worth introducing into the Pacific Northwest, a study of the prune 
industry of France, Germany, and Austria was made during the sum- 
mer of 1900, and the results of the observations are embodied in the 
following 'pages. 



Bui 10. Div of Pomology- U, S Dep1. AgricuHure. 



Plate I. 




O i; 



I ■:i 
I- V 



THE EUROPEAN PRUNE INDUSTRY. 

The prune industry of France is about a thousand years old/ and 
with a few exceptions due to the recent intioduction of modern com- 
mercial evaporating- and packing plants, it is carried on in much the 
same wa}" to-day, so far as the producer is concerned, as it was four 
hundred or more years ago. While the industry is less than a half 
century old in Americti, and great changes have been made in the 
methods of prodiu-ing the cured product, French methods have 
remained practically unchanged for centuries. 

To the person familiar with the Pacific coast orchard areas, France 
offers a very disappointing field for orchard study. Her orchards 
would 1><> called, more properly, fruit gardens. As such, of course 
they are extremely interesting and fraught with lessons to the Amer- 
ican horticulturist. While it is true that one finds an occasional small 
area planted to trees in the way that is common in western Aiuerica, 
yet on -the whole the orchards of France are composed of a mixture of 
plantations of fruit trees and shrubs, ornamentals and other plants. 

IMPORTANT PRODUCING DISTRICTS. 

The chief part of the prunes of France are produced in the northern 
and eastern parts of the department of Lot et Garonne, a section of 
country approximately 2,000 square miles in extent, situated in the 
southwestern part of the country, about 45 miles from Bordeaux and 
nearly 60 miles from the Atlantic coast; in the northern and western 
parts of the department of Tarn et Garonne, which is somewhat 
smaller than the preceding department and lying just to the southeast 
of it; in the department of Gironde, Avhich is the region surrounding- 
Bordeaux; in the department of Deux -Sevres, a small section l\'ing 
about 100 miles to the north of Bordeaux and 30 miles from the 

^ The introduction of the prune into France is ascribed to the Benedictines, who 
brought it from Turkey or Persia on their return from participation in the Crusades. 

The first trees were planted, so tradition informs us, at the Al)bey of Clairac, 
located on the right bank of the picturesque little river Lot. This abbey, which was 
founded and given to the Benedictines by Pepin le Bref, King of France, about 752 
A. D., is still standing, and is remarkably well preserved. It occupies a commanding 
position overlooking the valley of the Lot, and, though in the heart of the present 
village of Clairac, is a conspicuous landmark for many miles up and down the valley. 

The location of the Abliey Clairac and the introduction by the Benedictines of the 
prune to this particular spot seem particularly fortunate, as the conditions were there 
most favorable for the introduction of this fruit into France. No other jieople at that 
time were so much interested in the (cultivation of fruits and flowers as the monks, 
and in no other section of the country would this tree have reached the high develop- 
ment that it has reached here. 

This is especially shown by the fact that there are more old prune orchards in the 
valley of the Lot than in any other section of corresponding area, and there are also 
more young trees being set out in this section at present than in any other prune- 
growing district of France (PL I). 



Atlantic coast; and in tlio central part of the department of Meurthe 
et Moselle, an irregular strip of country lying in the northeastern 
part of France adjacent to the (xerman l)order and along the Moselle 
River. The primes from this latter section are of the " quetsche " type 
as distinguished from the Agen or U'Ente., which is the common 
type in the former regions. Several other departments also produce 
unimportant quantities of this fruit. The department of Lot et 
(xaronne produces nearly one-half of the total output of France, which 
for the year 1900 was approximately 100,000,000 pounds, selling for 
an a\erage of 1 cents per pound, all sizes. The same year the output 
of Agen prunes from California was al)out 180,000,000 pounds, selling 
for H cents per pound on the same basis as in France, while the output 
for the Pacific Northw^est was probably not far from 7,000,000 p(ninds 
of Italians, selling for \\ cents per pound, all sizes, and of Agen, 
about 5,000,000 pounds, selling for 3 cents per pound,^ all sizes. 

The chief prune-growing sections of Germany are the provinces of 
Baden, Elsass,^ Lothringen," and the Kingdom of Saxony. This latter 
region extends into Bohemia along the Elbe River and its tributaries 
from a point near Tetschen to Leitmeritz, a distance of 30 miles, more 
or less, and extending over a ])elt of countrv ijrobablv not less than 15 
miles wide on the average, wdth occasional stretches extending farther. 
The Bohemian'section of this district is of nuich more conunercial 
imy)ortance than the Saxon section. 



SC^ILS. 



The soils of the prune-growing sections of France, riermany, and 
Austria are widely different in their physical and chemical charac- 
ters. In France thi^soil is quite universally light, porous, rich in lime, 
and deficient in hunuis. The soil types known as sand}^ or argillo- 
calcareous (clay and lime) are considered the l)est for the prune, 
though pomologists agree that the plum in general is not very particu- 
hir al)out the soil in which itgrows, so long as it is neither too light and 
limy nor too wet. Certainly these two conditions in no wise prevail 
in the European prune orchards. Unfortunately, so much can not ))e 
said of all the orchards of the Pacific Northwest. But while the soils 
of France are genei-ally of a limy and sandy character, those of the 
sections of Germany and Austria in which the prune is cultivated are 
largely clayey and darker, ])ecause having a greater humus content. 
These latter soils are more retentive of moisture, and generally the 
orchards are restricted to hillsides or gently undulating land, whereas 
in France there is little difi'erence between the acreage on hillsides 
and in the valleys. The soil of the districts in which the prune is 
profitabl}^ cultivated in southern Germany and northwestern Austria 



' ()re^()l"PAgen prunes were unusually small in 1900. 
- Alsace and Lorraine. 



♦ 9 

resembles very much the average basaltic loams of western Oregon 
and Washington, while the soils of France generally resemble the 
soils of the eastern parts of these two States and portions of southern 
Oregon, though they generally carry a larger lime content than the 
Pacific coast soils. 

ORCHARD METHODS. 

In Bohemia are to be seen thousands of acres of prune orchards 
plant<»d on the same general plan as our American orchards, with these 
diti'erences: There are no large individual or corporate plantings, and 
prune trees are freel}^ planted along the highways, lanes, boundary 
lines, and about the l)uildings as well as in orchards. An occasional 
single orchard block may contain 20 acres, and while this ma}^ appear 
quite insignificant to the large orchardist of the Pacific coast, it is 
very different from the French type of prune orchard, which is gen- 
erally a very irregular and mixed plantation of fruit-bearing trees, 
shrubs, vines, and other plants. 

With the exception of a quite limited i-egion about Sainte Livrade 
and Villeneuve-sur-Lot, and an irregular and broken section in eastern 
France between the Meuse and Moselle rivers, the prune orchards of 
France are not planted in l)locks or masses. The trees are set in rows, 
usually, though fre(|uently there appears to he. no attempt at regu- 
larity, and when in rows the rows are from 40 to «!(> feet apart. Fre- 
quently three or four rows are planted side l)y side, the trees being 
approximately 16 to 20 feet apart each way. These zones or l)elts of 
rows are separated from one another by several rods of open field, and 
occasionally one such belt of rows, extending from one end of a field 
to the other or even from one end of the farm to the other, will l)e the 
full extent of the orchard plantation upon a given properf3^ In the 
rows not only are prunes planted but there may be cherries, apples, 
pears, peaches, quinces, bush fruits, grapes, imts, osier willows, and 
an occasional ornamental tree. Between the rows of trees are g-rown 
the various cereal, forage, and root crops, or in many instances the 
tract of open land is a meadow. Often an owner or renter will have a 
few trees in a certain localit}' and others widely separated from them. 
Not infrequently these difJ'erent orchard plats are 2 or r> miles apart. 

The trees are never cultivated for themselves. Such tillage as the 
soil receives is given for the benefit of the field crops. It nnist not be 
inferred from this, however, that fruit trees are never cultivated in 
France. In the region surrounding Paris, where immense quantities 
of fruit such as chei'ries, plums, pears, apples, and small fruits are 
grown, excellent tillage is given the soil, but in this region, where 
land is very valualjle, trees are grown close together — 6 to 8 feet apart 
usually — and the ground is literally covered with other crops. Or the 
tree crops may be scattered or in irregular groups, and no particular 
attention o-iven them save to p-ather the fruit. 



10 ♦ • 

The same course is followed in tlie German and Austrian orchards 
and tree plantations, consequently the trees of these various sections 
are generally much smaller than trees of a corresponding age on the 
Pacific coast. PI. II shows a German orchard of Italian Prune trees 
that are nine years old. PI. Ill shows a French orchard of Mirabelles 
that are nine years old. Fig. 3 of PI. IV shows a roAV of Agen trees 
in a French orchard twenty years old. Fig. 1 of PI. IV shows three 
rows of German Prune trees in F'-ance eighteen years old. 

STOCKS. 

In the Pacific Northwest the peach is the common stock for the plum, 
though during the -past few years the Myrobalan plum has been used 
to some extent. In France, German}, and Austria all plums are grown 
on plum stocks, and occasionally this stock is used quite extensively 
for the peach. The common stock for the Agen is the St. Julien; for 
the '•quetsches,'" St. Julien and White Damson; for the Mirabelle, St. 
Julien and Mja-obalan. This* latter is not regarded by the growers as 
a desirable stock, but luirserjauen prefer to use it, and if the stock is 
not specified this is the one usually sent out. Growers assert that 
trees on Myrobalan stock are much shorter lived than those on St. 
Julien stock. How much real weight can be attached to this state- 
ment is not known, as well-authenticated experiments have not been 
conducted along this line. French horticulturists give as their reasons 
for using the plum stock generally for the peach, that it is a deeper 
feeder, lives longer, is hardier, more vigorous, and less susceptible to 
adverse soil conditions, and for planting near houses it is to be pre- 
ferred to the peach, because it will send its roots deep into the cold 
earth below the basement walls and thus develop a crop under condi- 
tions in which the peach would barel}' live, except it should feed 
entirely from the adjacent border, which is desired for other crops. 
When it is known that a ver}^ large proportion of the peach trees of 
France is grown as espaliers on high walls and sides of buildings, the 
force of the position taken by the French growers and propagators is 
apparent. 

PKUNING AND TRAINING. 

In Europe the universal practice i.s to train onthard trees with high 
heads, the object being to let the sun and air have free access to the 
ground in order that the cover crop may have ample opportunity for 
development. Usually the trees are headed at a height of from -I to 5 
feet. Little pruning is done, save to thin out and occasionally to cut 
back the young growth if the trees are grown on land that is irrigated. 
The heads are usually round to roundish, and generally nuich smaller 
than in the case of Pacific Coast trees of corresponding age. The plum 
tree lives to a good old age in Europe and frequently' is of large size. 



Bui. '0, Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. Agriculture. 



Plate II. 





Bui. 10, Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. Agriculture. 



Plate III. 




Bui. 10, Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. Agriculture. 



Plate IV. 




Fig. 1. — German Prune at Epinal, France. 




Fig. 2. — Prune Trees at Carcassonne. 




Fi3. 3. — Agen Prune at Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France. 

Typical Prune Orchards of France. 



Bui. 10, Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. Agriculture, 



Plate V. 




11 

In the '^quetsche^-oTowing section of Germany and Au.stria the trees 
are somewhat hiroer than the Agen trees in France and approach the 
size of simihxr trees on the Pacitic coast, though tlie st3de of pruning 
and trimming is the same in all sections — i. e., with high heads. The 
Mirabelle is treated in the same manner, though trees of this variet}' 
often attain a size considerably above that of the Agen at a corre- 
sponding age, and the spread of top is relative!}^ greater. 

PL V shows a twelve-year old Mirabelle tree that boi-e 12 bushels 
of fruit in the year 1900.' Other views of this style of training prune 
trees are shown on Pis. 1. 11. and III. 

VAmKTIES. 

As before mentioned, the leading plums of France are the Agen and 
Mirabelle; of Germany, the common "quetsche" (German Prune of 
America), Mirabelle, and Italian; of Austria, the common "quetsche." 
The Italian is grown onh^ to a limited extent at any point. It is pro- 
duced chiefly in the province of Baden, in the vicinity of Freiburg, 
where it is justly esteemed, the tree being thrifty, vigorous, healthy, 
and rather more productive than in other sections. Though this vari- 
ety has been know n for many years and sparingly tried in most prune- 
growing sections of Europe, it is held as of secondary merit because 
of its shy bearing. French and German authors are agreed that the 
fruit is of large size and good quality, but that the unfruitfulness of 
the tree disqualifies it for their use. Were it a fruit which sold on the 
market in a fresh state this objection would lose much of its force, but 
as most of the evaporated fruit put on the markets is smaller than the 
Italian, size becomes a less important factor. The European producer 
wants a large quantity, for since he uses much of the smaller and 
inferior fruit in the manufacture of liquor, and only the larger grades 
for the evaporated product, there appears to him to be a disadvantage 
in growing a variety that yields a small amount of an extra large-sized 
fruit, the price of which is not enough higher than that of average size 
to make its production equally profitable with the smaller but more 
prolific "quetsche." 

The Mirabelle type is held in high esteem b}^ the French people, and 
would seem to be worthy of more attention by our Pacific coast 
growers. With the exception of the Keine-Claude type, which is 
grown in all parts of France, and notably in the environs of Paris, for 
consumption in both the fresh and conserved states, the Mirabelle is 
the type receiving the most attention at the hands of the French 
grower. It is used conserved, preserved, jellied, jammed, dried, and 
distilled. Great quantities of the canned fruit are used by the bakers 
for making "tarts," a most popular pastry in all the larger cities of 



^This tree stands on the property of C. Wursthorn, St. Max, Nancy, France. 



12 

France, and it is likewise esteemed for the same purpose in England. 
There are several Vai-ieties of this type, but the leading ones now 
catalogued are "Mirabelle grosse," '' Mirabelle petite," and " Reine 
des Mirabelles." While these varieties dilier in size, the important 
distinction is in their respective seasons .of maturity, varying as they 
do from the 1st of August to the 1st of October. 

The fruit of the average Mirabelle is about five-eighths of an inch in 
diameter, nearly spherical, of a yellowish color, slightly subacid and 
freestone. The especial feature that commends it to the French peo- 
ple is its size. When used in pastry one course deep it is just large 
enough to make a first-class tart, from the French })oint of view. 

THE PRUNE IN COMMENCE. 

Commercially considered the evaporated prune is apparently not 
now held in as high esteem as it has ])een heretofore. The people of 
Europe prefer the plum preserved in jars, cans, or bottles, in one 
wa}' or another, to the evaporated product, 3"et large quantities of 
di'ied prunes are consumed by the middle classes, for the reason that 
the prices of preserved and canned plums are be^^ond their means. 
The chief reason, perhaps, for the decline of the prune in pulilic esti- 
mation in P^urope is that its appearance upon the market is in no wise 
improved over what it was twenty-five years ago, while in the case of 
all oth(M- fruits there has l)een gn^at hnprovement in ])oth the style 
and chai-:ict(M' of packing and packages. In America the recent rapid 
improN cment in fruit refrigeration has worked harm to the dried fruit 
industry in that it makes it possible' to matei'ially lengthen the season 
during which fresh fruits of many kinds may be marketed at a price 
within the means of the well-to-do industrial classes, and thus the 
demand for evaporated fruit is perceptibly reduced on the part of 
thf)se whose means would otherwise permit them to pay good prices 
for this product. It is safe to say, however, that the markf^t for the 
evaporated prune will steadily increase if it can be supplied with a 
high (juality of fruit, neatly and cleanly packed, which can be sold for 
a reasonal)le [)rice. At present the'poorer people of England, France, 
and Germany consume little fruit, relatively speaking. These people 
have a constant struggle to obtain the necessaries of life, and as fruit 
is held by most of them to be something of a luxury it is only 
consumed when their means is in excess of the amount required for 
necessaries. 

There is a steadily growing demand in for(Mgn markets for pitted 
fruit, and an effort is being made by some of the Austrian growers to 
meet this demand. It appears from a study of the situation that in 
the near future much of the better quality of prunes will be ofl'ered 
to consumers as "pitted plums;" especially does this appear to be the 
outlook for the Italian and other laroe varieties. Consumers do not 



13 

ciirc to )>iiy })its. 'I'his part, which costs the producor most in the coii- 
suiiiption of soil fortilit}", has no value in commerce, at least in its 
present form, and a demand is being* made to have it eliminated from 
the product. This change in the character of the mark(^tal)le product 
of the prune would necessaril}^ involve great changes in the process 
of curing. There is reason to believe, however, that the invention 
of machinery for pitting will eventually reduce the work of that 
operation, which is at prc^scMit ([uite impracticable. 

SKCOXpAKY PRODUCTS. 

As in the American orchards, so in the orchards of France and Ger- 
many, there is a large quantity of second-grade fruit untit for the 
e\'aporator, or even, after having passed the evaporator, unfit for 
market as a plain evaporated product. At least nine-t(Miths of tliis 
low-grade fruit is distilled and put upon the market as "■ Prunelle'' or 
"Quetsche,"" liquors that would be called plum brandies by Americans. 
Not onl}^ is the inferior fruit from the prune orchards manufactured 
into liquors, but also that from apple, pear, plum, grape, and small 
fruit plantations. In some localities, chiefly the large centers like 
Paris, Hanover, Berlin, and Hamburg, much second-class fruit is used 
for making jams, jellies, marmalades, and fruit butters. Of the plum 
jams or marmalades the pref(U'ence in France and England is for that 
made from the Reine Claudes, while in Austria and Germany large 
quantities of plum butter and marmalade made from the "quetsche" 
(German prune) are consumed; l;)ut as an article of commerce this 
latter product is of a much cheaper grade than that made of the Reine 
Claudes; also, while it goes into the market iji tu})s, casks, kegs, and 
stone jars, the former is put up in glass jars, fancy cups, wide-mouthed 
bottles, and various other daintj^ packages. Of the jellies, jams, mar- 
malades, and fruit butters put upon the European markets but few 
are made of plums alone. Plum juice and flesh are usually mixed 
with apple and currant and occasionally other fruits, and the result- 
ing product goes upon the market as "choice" products under various 
names. The market demand for pure plum products of this character 
is quite limited, notwithstanding large fi'uit conserving factories have 
been endeavoring to place such goods upon the market. At present, 
outside of the Reine Claudes and Mirabelles of France, England, and 
Germany, a small part of the "'quetsche" crop of Austria, and the 
Bosnian product of plum butter, inferior plums are used for distilla- 
tion. Quetsche, especially when of considerable age, is ranked among 
the finest of brandies. The best is said to be made of half ''quetsche'' 
prunes and half Mirabelles. The present price for old Quetsche is 15 
per cent above other brandies of corresponding age. 

In the large cities and at points where fruit packing and conserving 
plants are established there are distilling plants of considerable size 



14 

which purcha.se from small dealer.s and g-rowers such fruits as arc 
unfit for general market purposes. In the rural sections and where 
orchards are small atid scattered the distillation of waste fruits is 
effected b}' portable outfits, operated in Aery nuich the same manner 
as the American traveling steam wood-sawing machine. The method 
of conducting the work of these outfits is the same as practiced by 
thrashers, wood saw3'ers, and like concerns in America. A fixed 
charge is made b}^ the hour or da}', and all expense of running the 
alembic, as it is called, is borne by the distiller; thv orchardist or 
vineyardist simph" placing the properly fermented fruit in an acces- 
sible place. The charges for distillation vary with the seasons and 
kinds of fruits. 

I'ACKTNC} AND I'ACKACiKS. 

The one most neglected phase of the prune industr}' js that of pack- 
ing and packages. In the marketing of no other fruit or food 
product, save possibly the coarser vegetables, is so little attention 
paid to attractive packing and packages. Not less than four-fifths of 
the product is put upon the market in large, rough boxes or bags, and 
especial!}' is this the case Avith the smaller sizes of the European 
prunes and those from the Pacific Northwest. A few of the larger 
packing establishments of France, Germany, and California use a 
moderate amount of taste and a fair quality of material in their pack- 
ages, while one or two French and German firms put upon the market 
a limited amount of very fancy packages of choice fruit. On the 
markets of the eastern United States and pAirope prunes are usuall}' 
handled like peanuts and potatoes. Instead of being handled as a 
prepared fruit food, the}' are treated as a raw article; exposed to the 
flying dust and dirt of the market place; shoveled and carted about 
just as one might handle coal, in old boxes, barrels, sacks, or trays. 
The result is that as the housewife passes from place to place making 
her purchases for the table the thought of dried prunes for sauce gives 
her a feeling of mild disgust, and justly so. If the average curer of 
prunes on the Pacific coast could see the article as it is commonly mar- 
keted in the large cities he would feel distrustful of his own senses. 
Not all of the evaporated fruit is thus handled, l)ut a large amount 
reaches the consumer in this Avay. Not alone the smaller grades, 
though certainly a larger per cent of these are thus sold than of the 
fancy grades, but some of the fruit of -iO-dtS grade is sold Avith so nuich 
dirt upon it that the Avork of preparing it for the table must be as 
great as for potatoes. This condition can only ])e overcome by 
adopting a style of package that will not permit handlers and dealers 
to foul the fruit. 

There appears to be no reason why this product under ordinary 
conditions, providing it is protected from attack by insects, Avill uot 



15 

keep for two or three years without serious deterioration. Certainly 
there is no reason why it should not be placed on the market in such 
manner as to make it as attractive as the canned product, which is the 
chief competing article/ While it is possible that much of the evap- 
orated product is of too low a grade and quality to warrant even a 
small additional expense for fanc}- packing-, yet for all the higher 
grades and best qualities it would appear that this is a field worthy of 
thorough investigation l)y the progressive packer and shipper. In 
the world's markets to-da}" attractive packages count for at least as 
much as quality with the majorit}^ of buyers, and since dried prunes 
are looked upon by many as a coarse food it is the more important 
that careful attention be given to their market appearance. The glass 
jars, bottles, and cans in which some of the Bordeaux packers put up 
a portion of their fancy-quality prunes are too expensive for the 
general market, and yet, thus far, these are the onh' packages in 
which the fruit keeps for an indefinite period without decreasing in 
value thi'ough l)eing worm-eaten and sugared. The great need at 
present is a cheap, light, fly and air proof package. 

MKTHODS OF MARKETINiJ. 

There are several features of this phase of the European prune 
industry that are worth}- of attention by our growers. One of the 
first matters to attract attention is the method of making sales at the 
country market place. This is where the crop changes hands from 
the small grower and evaporator to the dealer, packer, or shipper. 
Everv considerable village of Europe has its market place. In the 
larger villages and cities the ''market*' is of daily occurrence; in the 
smaller villages, once a week. AVith the different villages Avithin a 
more or less well-defined region, the market days occur on different 
daA'S of the Aveek, thus enabling buyers to visit diflerent sections from 
day to da}". One of the chief prune markets of Erance is Sainte 
Livrade, in the valley of the Lot. During th(^ curing season there is 
held at this place every Thursday a dried-prune market — i. e., the 
prune is the chief feature of the "'market."*' Early in the morning- 
one may see the people with all sorts of conveyances — wheelbarrows, 
handcarts, donkey carts, ox carts, and carts drawn by men and 
women — traveling toward the mark(>t place with their prunes and 
other produce, and not infre(|uently may be seen both men and women 
carrying their marketal)le produce in hand baskets or sacks thrown 
over their backs. At a set time, usually about 8.30 a. m. for the 
prune market, the sound of a bell or horn announces that the market 
has opened. The buyer, with a little scale pan in hand, begins his 

'This year a San Francisco firm' has put upon the market a package that bids fair 
to be the beginning of a better method of marketing t\w product. This is a 5-pound 
pajjer box. 



1<> 

Avork of testidi^". .\11 tibout the iiiiirkot jilsice, in boxes, Inig.s, baskets, 
tubs, barrels, and other receptacles, are the various lots of dried fruit 
(PI. VI). As the buyers pass from lot to lot the attending sales- 
woman — for usually a Avoman attends to this part of the business — 
sews, knits, eats, or converses with her neighbors. After the buyers 
have made the rounds and sampled the offerings, as to cured condition 
and size, they are ready to make offers on the various lots that they 
have decided are worth their attention. Each buyer waits upon the 
several persons offering the lots that he desires, makes his bids in a 
confidential tone and, if accepta])le, the bargain is closed; otherwise he 
passes on and other buyers take his place, and so the round is made 
until all goods are sold. Occasionally, however, some lots are kept 
until the next market, the price offered not l)eing acceptable to the 
seller. 

After sales are made the fruit is delivered by the seller to some 
warehouse, packing-house, or depot, where it is weighed and paid for. 
On l)eing received at the packing-house the fruit of each grade, as deter- 
mined by its cured condition, is put into large receiving bins. Such 
fruit as is insufficiently dried (and frequentl}^ the proportion of this 
grade of fruit on the market is quite large) is spread on trays, placed on 
a large truck, very much after the style shown in Pis. VII and VIII, 
and re-evaporated. The fruit that is properly cured is graded by means 
of a grader made upon the same general plan as the Cunningham grader 
used on the Pacific coast. Each grade is placed in a separate bin, and 
after a period of sweating put through a processing bath, the compo- 
sition and method of use of which the packer endeavors to keep secret. 
The fruit is then boxed, sacked, bottled, or canned, according to 
quality, appearance, and size, as the market may demand. This fea- 
ture of the work is not unlike the California method of processing and' 
packing, which is quite unknown in the Paciffc Northwest, though a 
beginning along this line has been made by one or two ffrms. The 
culls from the grading are distilled, sometimes alone, sometimes 
together with fresh fruit that is considered unfit for the drier. 

In many localities, and especially in northern Germany, large plants 
for evaporating, canning, preserving, distilling, and packing are 
established, and to these the growers sell their fresh fruit. Some of 
these estaT)lishments have men and teams traveling over the country 
gathm-ing up the fresh fruit. Sometimes the crop is bought on the 
trees, but more often after it is picked. 

As to the question of large factories or individual small evaporators, 
the more intelligent Eiu-opean dealers and producers are advocates 
of the plan of having large conserving plants. They realize that the 
large plants can be more economically handled, can prepare a more 
uniform grade and a greater variet}^ of product, and are nuich better 
able to cope with the variable market conditions; a sufficient number 
of reasons, evidently, for their viev/ of the question. The history of 



Bui. 10, Div of Pomology, U. S, Dept. Agriculture. 



Plate VI. 



atft * •^-■' SW-fftH' 




W^.^^ 




1 -^ . — ««. 



y. 




7A^v 



Mnft"*Sr*%!»--?*i", t 




Typical Market Scenes in France- the Prune Market, Sainte Livrade. 



Bui. 10, Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. Agricultur 



Plate VII. 




Bui. 10, Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. Agriculture. 



Plate VIII. 







-r ' ;>^* 



I 





e\ 



' / -. -'vH 




17 

the ^Towth of these fruit- food ftietorie.s (for such they really are) in 
the Old World is one of much interest to the people of the Pacific 
Northwest, and it appears that it is only a question of time until our 
growers and dealeis must adopt a s^'stem similar to that existing- in 
France and Germany. The chief objection to the product of the 
Pacific Northwest to-day is that it is not uniform in size, qiiality, and 
pack, and that there is no certainty that an order placed and filled 
satisfactorily one year can be duplicated the next on a large scale. 
If, for example, the whole prune crop of the Willamette Valley could 
pass through one finishing and packing-house, there is no question, 
in view of French and German experience, that a fairly uniform 
grade and quality of product could be put upon the market from year 
to 3^ear and that a stable market rating could be secured for the prune 
crop of this section, resvdting most iKMieticially to the industry. 

p:VAr()UATION. 

As intimated in a previous paragraph, a large ])art of the prune 
crop of Germany and >Vustria is evaporated in the large conunercial 
plants, while of the ciop of France ovei" two-thirds is evaporated in 
the small, individual driei's ("fours" or "etuves" as the}' are called 
there). Of the former of these methods little need be said, as in a 
general way the plants are constructed after tlu; Zimmerman and 
Alden types of Amei-ican machines and are less efficient, viewed from 
the standpoint of an American, than the improved evaporators now 
in use in the Pacific Northwest. The only feature in which these 
European plants excel the American commercial plants is that of 
making provision to use all inferior fruit in the preparation of various 
secondary products. If the fruit which comes into the plant will not 
make a good evaporated fruit, then it is used to make some other form 
of fruit product. In this latter respect our commercial evaporating 
plants have a great opportunity for improvement. 

Of the system of evaporation in France more may b(> said, for the 
reason that the fruit prepared by this method brings the highest price 
on the European markets, and for the further reason that a l)rief dis- 
cussion of this method will materially aid our growers in understand- 
ing what their present position is in this phase of the work of the 
world's prune industry. 

As before stated, the prune of France is the Agen, conunonly known 
on the Pacific coast as Pdiit\ or French. For the first part of the 
ripening period it is allowed to fall to the ground, and if the weather 
is fair it is gathered eveiy two or three days. Should the weathei' be 
foul it is gathered every day. 

As shown by the prices paid at the first markets, as well as by the 
general appearance of the fruit itself, the first gatherings are of an 
inferior quality. As th<' season advances tlie tr<'(\s are lightly shaken. 

4081— No. 10- Ol 2 



18 

The fruit is oiitluTcd in coiiunon hand baskets (see tig's. 2 and o of 
PI. IX), usually by women and children, carried or carted to the 
building- where the drier ('•'four'" oi- "etuve") is located, and there, 
without dipping, washing, or grading in any way, is .spread upon the 
drying trays, or "claies" as they are called. These trays are a most 
unique and interesting part of the apparatus. They are made of 
various shapes, sizes, and material. Some are square, some rec- 
tangidar, and many racquet-shaped, others round, others oblong. 
Some are made of willow throughout, some of mllow sides, while the 
bottom is a latticework of split broom-corn stalks or reed g-rass; some 
have a wooden framework and galvanized wire bottom, and others are 
made of woven rush grass. In sizes they vary from small round ones, 
18 inches in diameter, to rectangular ones 2^ ])y -i feet, or as long as 6 
by 2i feet wide. In one good-sized "etuve"^ (a drier that will handle 
12 to 20 bushels per day) may be seen half a dozen styles of trays 
varying as to size, shape, and the material of which they are made. 
The fruit having been placed upon the trays at the opening of the 
season, is put into the oven or drying chamber, which has been pre- 
viously heated to a temperature of 70' C. (15S^ F.). The tire or heat 
is withdrawn at the time the fi'uit is put in, the chaml)er is closed 
tightly, and the fruit left for three days. During this time the tire is 
rekindled each morning, and when the temperature of the chamber 
has reached 70° C. the fire is withdrawn as before. At the end of the 
third da}^ the fruit is removed, the chamber closed, the fire rekindled 
or heat renewed, and the temperature brought up to the standard, 
70^ C. While the fruit is out it is assorted roughly and the large 
prunes are dipped into rod wine. All arc then replaced in the oven, 
the heat or fire withdrawn, and at the end of twenty-four hours the 
fruit is again taken from the oven. This time it is assorted, all cured 
fruit being removed and put into })askets, the sizing l)eing done by eye 
during the operation. The uncured fruit is returned to the chamber 
and su('h trays as may be empty are filled with fresh fruit. The 
chamber is then closed, and the process repeated from day to day until 
the crop is cured. 

Pis. VII and VIII give views of a common style of evaporator near 
Villeneuve-sur-Lot, and the above description of the process of work 
applies to this individual drier. The little details of the process of 
curing vary more or less with the individual, but the above is in the 
main the method followed ])y those growers who put upon the market 
a good cured prune of the French type." 

^A "four" is a simple ))ake oven. The fire is liindled in the chamber, whicli is 
usually small, and when the heat has reached the proper degree the fire is \\ith' 
drawn, and the trays of fruit are placed in the chamber and doors closed. 

'^ The process here outlined differs somewhat from that described by Messrs. Nanot 
and Fritschler, the French authorities on this subject, but it is in accord with the 
most advanced general practice followed in the Lot-et-(Taro".ne district to-day. 



Bui. 10, Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. Agnculiure. 



Plate IX. 



J8 


^< 


% >^ 






1 


'*^^ 


Ww. 


Imi^'^- -1 


1 






^ 


P 


Plw 






\^ 


^^^'^Bm 


!■ 


K^^ 


V 




sdi 


'*'*''''f'?5aH 


H 


M^^. 


i 


:|.»||M . .ic 


2%*' ^^!8H 


^■^^ '41 


Mr ii 


Wm^^^Kk 






HMRI 


•ioHBE: ^jiH 


H^^'5 


^ W^V' ^fHI 




fffplti^ v\vVlW|H 


^^HilHliu 


r<>^>^^^^^^^^^H 


1 




^ 




1 




Prune-Harvesting Scenes in the Rural Districts of France. 



3ui. JO, Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. Agriculrure. 



Plate X. 








"^ 






One of the Original Trees of Cceur de Bceuf Prune. Carcassonne, France. 



19 

NEW OR LITTLE-KNOWN VARIETIES. 

The following new or little-known viiricties were found at different 
points during the course of the investigation, and young trees or 
grafting wood of each of these was secured for experimental intro- 
duction to the United States. 

Cceur de Bmuf (Beef^s heart). — So named from its characteristic 
firmness, is, according to the })est information that can be obtained, the 
offspring of a variety introduced from the province of Lerida, Spain. 
Raymond Moise, of Carcassonne, France, says: 

There was introduced from Lerida in 1854 among other trees a i)luni. From 
seedlings of the fruit of this tree the present variety was l^rought out in lS7i). The 
tree (PI. X) is vigorous, hardy, a regular bearer, and the fruit a long keeper, and, 
our people here think, of excellent quality. 

The following notes taken at Carcassonne would seem to indicate a 
little confusion as to the time of introduction into France. 

There is only one established orchard of this variety of any consideral)le age, 
though there are several young plantations. Some trees in this old orchard are 
upward of 30 feet high and 25 feet across, Avith trunks more than a foot in diameter. 
These trees are said to be a hundred years old (!), and as they show no indications 
of having been grafted in recent years, it would appear that the variety is older than 
claimed by Mr. Moise or else that the trees are much younger than the age claimed 
for them. The trees in general resemble the Peach plum. The foliage is large, 
thick, dark green, clean; ihe wood is bright, smooth, and reddish when young. The 
bark on the old trees is deeply furrowed and flaky. The crop of fruit for 1900 was 
very heavj', as with all fruits in this region this year. The first fruit ripened about 
August 12; the last on tlie trees was taken off August 30. 

Specimens of the fresh fruit of this variety obtained at Carcassonne 
were sent to the Division of Pomology in August, 1900, and the 
description of the fruit made there is as follows: 

Cceur de Beeaf. — Form, roundish; size, large, 1{^ inches by l|f inches; cavity, 
regular, of medium size and medium depth; stem, short, slender; suture, medium; 
surface, smooth, dark brownish red, covered with minute russet dots and a profuse 
bluish bloom; skin, medium thick, tenacious, slightly bitter; flesh, yellowish, 
translucent, meaty, and when overripe, juicy; flavor, sweet, rich; quality, good to 
very good; pit, oval, cling, small. 

HISTORIC AND IMPORTANT KINDS. 

Gloire cCEplnay. — Mr. Gorion, of Epinay, Franco, gives the follow- 
ing history of this variet}': 

It is an acci<lental seedling found at Ejiinay about fifty years ago, though as yet it 
is little known. The fruit is beautiful; in shape, round; m color, violet; of good 
quality. The tree is very productive; the fruit bears shipment very well, and the 
period of maturity is prolonged, often to six weeks. 

The tree-fruit committee of the National Horticultural Society of 
France visited Epinay, August 30, 1898, and reported to the society 
as follows: 

The purpose of our visit was to render an account of the fructification and vigor 
of the prune Gloire d' Epinay. It is a variety little known, though long grown at 



20 

Epinay. Tlie fruit is rovmdish in form, dark ]>\uv in color, large, and very good. 
The wood and foliage rei^emble those of Monsieur, but the fruit is superior to this 
latter \ ariety. The period of maturity is intermediate between that of Monsieur and 
Reine Claude. It is worthy of being propagated, as the quality is such that it will 
sell next to Reine Claude. At Mr. Gorion's we saw the first trees ])lanted by him, 
which are about twelve years old and very beautiful, and which bore this year irom 
60 to 80 kilos (120 to 160 ])ounds) of beautiful colored and delicious flavored fruit. 

I/Af/cu) ArneUorec. — Origin, eastern France. The tree and fruit of 
this variety resemble the Agen, with these exceptions, viz: The tree is 
more robust, foliage somewhat larger and fruit one-half larger, and 
maturing on the whole one week earlier. 

Sdiinois Quetsche. — Origin, Sannois, France. Tree reputed to be 
vigorous, robust, and hardy. The fruit is large, oblong-oval, purplish 
in color, with a medium bluish bloom and covered with small brown- 
ish dots on a reddish ground color. The tiesh resembles that of the 
Italian; in flavor it is somewhat sweeter and more juicy- It ripens 
in the latter part of August, and is rated as very good })y the local 
horticultural society at its home. 

A7i'na /Spaih. — Origin, southern Germany. Tree vigorous, upright 
grower, and in foliagi^ and general appearance reseml)les (Tolden Drop, 
C'oe, though the wood of the former is much tougher than that of the 
latter. The fruit is large, of very dark color, and considered by the 
Germans to be of most excellent quality. In form it is roundish, 
with a mere seml)lance of a suture; short, thick stem. '*It ripens 
a])out the first of Septemlu'r, and cures into a lu^avy first-class fruit 
of the 'ijuetsche' type.'" 

KINDS TO HK FURTHKK IN VKSTKJATED. 

Fron; thi> Poinological Institute at Reutlingen wood of several 
varieties has been secured. The only information obtained of these 
varieties consisted of hriei gemn'al notes on their comparative quality 
and time of maturing. Since 1860 this institute has l)een collect- 
ing varieties of I'ruit. At present the varieties of plums in the 
experimental grounds number 160. Fhose varieti(\s w^hich are 
suitable for evaporation are tested each year by the actual evapora- 
tion of the crop. Tlu* list of varieties appended contains such 
as Dr. Lucas, the superintendent, felt warrantcnl in recommending 
for trial as conmiercial varieties. The soil and climatic conditions 
of Reutlingen being quite similar to those existing in western Oregon 
and Washington, with the exception that a lower extreme of temper- 
ature is prevalent in Germany during the winter season than on the 
Pacific coast, it would appear that these varieties ought to flourish in 
this latter region. As the time in which the writer visited this locality 
was September 17, all the earl}^ varieties had been harvested and. the 
Italian and G-erman Prunes were just in their prime, with the Italian 



21 

a little in advance of the German. This condition would seem to 
indicate that these earl}" varieties would ripen in the Wilhiniette VaUey 
in Oreg-on about August 25 to Septenilxn- 1. 

The varieties, in the order of their respective periods of maturing, 
are as follows: 

Wangenhehn, Fi^h.e ZweUche. — Good, sweet, meaty, medium to large. 

Grosse Zucl'er-zvjetsche. — Large, good flavor, dries well. 

Grosse Eiujl/Kch. Zwetsche. — Medium ({uality, juic}^, larg^ 

Ungarische M^ixhlerte Z'ti^eUche. — Good to best, smaller than Italian. 
Tree prolific, vigorous, and large. 

2fusJcettellar. — Medium, dries well, flesh odorous. 

Ivninter ZweUcJte. — Medium, flesh firm, not so sweet as some of the 
above, but possessing man}" good (jualities. 

Dollaner Ztoetsche. — A fine fruit, but not alwaj^s bearing a full crop; 
in this respect resembling the Italian; of medium size, and dr3'ing well. 

IIollenl>i'ecke. — This is a plum of the Pond Seedling type which sells 
as a fresh fruit for ver}" fancy prices on the large markets of southern 
Germany. It has been introduced more for the purpose of using the 
tree as a stock for better varieties, as it is reputed to be very hard}". 

MISCELI.ANKOUS VARIETIES. 

Beside the above varieties a number of others which possess one or 
more desirable qualities and which appear worthy of intioduction for 
work in plant breeding have been introduced. A few of these are 
only strains of varieties already known to our horticulturists, l»utmost 
of them are of varieties of recent introduction in France. 

The following list has been arranged in the ordei- of rcdative merit as 
nearly as it has been possible to make it with the information at hand. 



Esjmn Erik. 

Giant. 1 

Big Rose' 

(ineteclie d'Leti-icourt. 

Heine des Mirabel les. 

Mirabelle de INFetz. 

Janne D'Agen. 

(inetsche Pucree. 

Czar.^ 

Altesse. 

Tardive Musqne. 

De Norbet. 

Prune Violet. 



Mirabelle Gros.se. 
De Montfort. 
Des Bejonniers. 
Belle de Louvrain. 
Saint Catherine. 
Surpasse Monsieur. 
Mirabelle Precoce. 
Mirabelle Petite. 
Mira])elle Tardive. 
Precoce de Tours. 
Victoria.' 

Reine Claude d'Althan. 
Reine Claude d'Ouillins 



As these trees are introduced from difierent localities, it is quite 
likely that some varieties are under two or more names, but as slignt 
variations are often found in the same variety in difierent localities it 



' Varieties of English oriirin. 



99^ 



has been deemed best to bring all that seemed to offer any desiral>le 
qualities, even though on trial some proved to be duplicates. 

Other varieties ol)tained from Dr. Lucas in the form of scions we 
the followino-; 



Rkine Claudes: 

Jerusalem Pflaume. 
Meroldt Reine Claude. 
Spilte ]Muskateller. 

MiRABELLEs: 

Gelbe Mirabelle v Nancy. 
Kleine gelbe Mirabelle. 
Ivonigin d'Miral)ellen. 
Prunes: 

Bazalicza Zwetsche. 
Dorett neue grosse. 



Prunes: 

Frankfurter Pfirsioh. 
Fiirst Friihe Zwetsche. 
Hartwiss gelbe Zwetsche. 
Italienische Zwetsche. 
Lucas Fri'ihe Zwetsche. 
Neue Zwetsche aus Kadolsburg. 
Reutlinger Friihe Zwetsche. 
Rothe aprikosen Zwetsche. 
Rothe dattel Zwetsche. 
Wahre Friihe Zwetsche. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF PRUNES. 

The following tal)le, prepared from analyses made under tlie direc- 
tion of Dr. H. W, Wile}', chemist, exhibits some interesting points. 
The laboratory numbers of the several samples analyzed refer to the 
following lots of fruit: No. 20830, French grown Agen; No. 20831, 
French grown Agen; No. 20848, Oregon grown Agen, syn. Petite; 
No. 2084:9, Oregon grown Italian, "steamed;" No. 20850, Oregon 
grown Italian, ''not steamed;"" No. 20851, Oregon grown Willamette. 

Cuinjiofiilioii of e rapt irati-d ]) runes groivn in. France and in Oreyon. 



SuriiilNo. 


Number 

per 
])Ouncl. 


Fle.sh. 


Pits. 


Moi.sture. 


Ash. 


Acid as 
H.2SO4. 


Reducing 
sugar. 


Cane 
sugar. 


Total 
sugar. 






I'lr cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 




Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


20830 


(>5- 70 


84.7 


15.3 


27. 92 


1.65 


0.99 


35.73 


1.69 


37. 32 


20831 


.50 


87.8 


12.2 


25. 14 


1.75 


.5ti 


38. 25 


3.31 


41.56 


20848 


128 


78 


22 


25.78 


2.35 


l.,5l 


33. 28 


1.87 


35.15 


20849 


38 


84.8 


15.2 


27. 24 


1.95 


1.51 


32.64 


Not determined. 


20850 


38 


87.(5 


12.4 


26. 4G 


1.88 


1.20 


30.83 


2. 32 33. 15 


20851 


24 


88.3 


11.7 


25.96 


2.06 


1.66 


34 


1. 18 35. 18 



The expressions ''steamed'' and '" not steamed" are terms indicating 
the methods adopted in packing the fruit for market. The "steamed" 
fruit is packed hot, the other is packed in the usual manner, when cold 
and after having been sweated. 

The samples of Italian and Willamette used in these analyses were 
supplied 1)y Mr. Thomas Prince, Dundee, Oreg. The Oregon Agen 
sample was furnished by Messrs. Mason, P'.hrman & Co., Portland, 
Oreg. The French Agen sample was purchased by the writer in the 
market place of Sainte Livrade, in southwestern France. It may be 
said in explanation of the Agen from Oregon that the fruit of this 
variety was unusually .small this year, hence the large percentage of 
pits as compared with the Agen of France. 



23 

It will be ol)served from the table that though tlie fruit varies in 
size from 24''s to 5()'s, there is onh" a small variation in the percentages 
of llesh and pits. An interesting point is observed in the sugar and acid 
contents. While the better lot of the Ag-en of France contains 41.56 
per cent of sugar, they also contain 0.5(3 per cent of acid; yet the Agen 
of Oregon, while having a somewhat smaller percentag'e of sugar, 
namel}" 35.15, has a much larger acid content, 1.51 per cent, which is 
nearly three times that of the Agen of France. Between Italian and 
Willamette there appears to be verj' little difi'erence in the essential 
features, though such as there is favors the Willamette, except the 
larger acid content. This table also shows that, so far as the fruit of 
1900 is concerned, there was very little difference between the acid 
and sugar contents of the Agen and the Italian. In truth, the dift'er- 
ence is so small that it would appear that the assertion generally made 
that the Italian is a sour prune is not founded upon fact, but rather 
upon belief l)ased upon a comparison of Agon and Italian in seasons 
when the latter does not reach full development. 



o 



LHIVlr'GS 



